


Rhymes That Keep Their Secrets

by snowybluecat



Category: The Prom - Sklar/Beguelin/Martin
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Long-Distance Relationship, Oneshot, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-22
Updated: 2019-08-22
Packaged: 2020-09-05 21:00:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20279743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowybluecat/pseuds/snowybluecat
Summary: Emma never really liked singing that song.But if it was to comfort her girlfriend at 3 AM, she would devote her life to singing it.





	Rhymes That Keep Their Secrets

**Author's Note:**

> Based off of that scene from Stranger Things season 3. You know the one.

It had only been two weeks. 

If two weeks felt like an eternity, who knew what a month felt like? Even worse, they had to be separated for _several_ months.

When you're Alyssa Greene, college is your number one priority, according to your mother. No time for the internet, no time to rest, no time for friends.

No time for your girlfriend.

Emma considered taking a year off to stay with her grandmother before going to college, but after talking to Mr. Hawkins and her four Broadway friends (who were basically her adoptive parents), she applied for NYU for a major in music and luckily made it in, much to her surprise. Her grandmother, Betsy, was overjoyed for her. She didn't care that Emma wasn't going to stay with her after all. As long as Emma was happy and pursued her dreams, she was happy too.

Unfortunately, this did not line up with Alyssa's plan.

Alyssa had applied to an Ivy League school all the way in California, the complete opposite side of the country. She was going to major in psychology, based on past experiences with social work and recommendations from her mother. This was for her own good, or so she thought. The more knowledge, the more likely she was going to have an actual future, right?

But when she learned that Emma was going to a different school than her, her world crumbled into pieces.

They've talked about this too. Back in high school, they would bring up college every once in a while and structured out several plans. If they go to the same school, they'll share an apartment and continue their normal lives. If they don't go to the same school, they'll just do long-distance and visit each other as much as possible.

It's completely different though. Now that it's actually happening, the thought of not seeing each other as often made her feel sick- like she was forever ill and her only cure was Emma. They saw this moment coming too, but it was so soon that they couldn't process what was going on.

Saying goodbye was the hardest part out of all of this. Alyssa had to leave first due to her location being further away and having more stuff to transport. That day hurt too much to remember. All she could recall was holding and kissing Emma for the last time for a while, letting the memories with her sink in and stick with her forever.

Now the two would call each other every night and keep each other updated on what they were doing, whether if it was an assignment they were doing for class or what show they were watching on Netflix. It became a regular routine, and sometimes they would stay up as late as 4 AM talking to each other or even pull all-nighters.

But when Emma suddenly received a call from Alyssa at 3 AM one night, she knew something was up.

"Hello? Alyssa?"

The faint sound of sniffing was heard from the other line.

Emma immediately sat up and reached for her glasses that were resting on the bedside table. "Alyssa, what's wrong?"

Alyssa was curled up into a ball on her bed, trembling, hugging her knees and gripping her phone like it was the oxygen she needed while drowning in her pool of tears. She needed Emma right now. She desperately needed her. Hearing her voice right now was the only thing keeping her alive. The only response she could give was a muffled sob.

"Shhh, it's okay," the blonde murmured, keeping her voice low to not wake the students next door. "I'm right here, Alyssa. You can talk about it if you want to, but I won't pressure you into doing anything. I'm just really worried."

The two spent the next five minutes in silence, the only sound heard being Alyssa's muffled sobs into her pillow.

The brunette finally broke the silence and spoke up, words hardly audible due to her voice being shaky and barely being able to finish her sentences.

"I really miss you, Emma," Alyssa mumbled. She sniffed again. "All of my thoughts revolve around you and I can't even focus in class anymore. I have so much work to do too, but I can't stop thinking about you. I-I miss everything about you. I miss going out in public with you, I miss holding your hand, I miss your warm cuddles, I miss your kisses, I just-" Her sentence was cut off by another sob.

Emma's felt a tight pain in her chest. She felt the same way too, but with her girlfriend experiencing it late at night over a phone call, her heart ached like it never had before. 

"Alyssa, listen to me. I need you to breathe. Breathe with me, okay? In-"

The girl on the other end inhaled sharply, breath staggering at the same time and clenching her hands into fists.

"-And out."

She closed her eyes and exhaled, unclenching her fists and resting her hands on the bedsheets. Her eyes were still glazed with tears, but at least she wasn't shaking anymore.

"Do you feel any better, Lys?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Em."

Then Emma felt something spilling out of her eyes. Her vision started to get cloudy, blocked by the tears forming and streaming down her face. She couldn't let Alyssa hear her like this. It would just make her even more upset. So she stayed silent.

But Alyssa just knew. The quick moment of silence and the way her tone of voice slightly changed after asking if she felt any better gave it all away.

"Emma, you're crying."

"N-no I'm not."

"Yes you are, don't lie to me. Can you breathe?"

Emma took a quick deep breath in and out, luckily uninterrupted.

"Yeah. Yeah I can."

Alyssa repositioned herself so she could sit up with her back pressed against the wall. She placed her phone on the bed and reached for a pillow to hug, almost like her girlfriend was there with her and making her feel safe again. She wanted to help her as much as possible. There was no way she was going to let her suffer in silence. "Do you want to talk about it?"

The response started off with a shaky breath, which was then turned into words. "God, I miss you too, Alyssa. Do you know how hard it is to spend a single day without you? I try to do so many things to keep my mind off of you but it keeps coming back within not even a whole second." She pushed up her glasses to rest on the top of her head so she could wipe her tears soaking her face. "How long has it been? Two weeks? I'm already dying, Lys. I can't do this."

The brunette barely managed to choke back more tears hearing Emma cry. She's heard her cry before, in fact she's _seen_ her cry many times before, but this felt different. All she wanted to do was fly to New York, hold her and feel truly happy again. She hugged her pillow tighter.

"I know, Em. We're going to make it through together. I already told my mom we would meet up for Thanksgiving and Christmas. That's something to look forward to, isn't it?" She rested her chin on top of the pillow, just like how she would rest her chin on Emma's shoulder while hugging her. "We're together right now." Tears escaped her eyes once again. She didn't realize Emma could hear her until she spoke up.

"Well, we're definitely crying together right now," Emma chuckled.

The girls shared a laugh and spent the next few minutes trying to calm down. It was all too much for them. They spent the last few nights without a problem, so why were they crying just now?

"...Emma?"

"Hm?"

"Can I hear it?"

"Hear what?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

Of course she knew what she was talking about. How could she not? It was the thing that made Alyssa's eyes light up whenever she heard the first lyric. Her and Emma would always do this back in Indiana in Emma's room. Sometimes it was because they were bored or and other times it was to help Emma practice her guitar. Emma's voice was so soothing, she could fall asleep to it (she's embarrassed to admit she fell asleep to it many times before). She always sang along and harmonized with her too, making little hand gestures and swaying with the music. She was never that confident with her singing, but being with Emma made her feel like she didn't have to worry about anything. It would be just the two of them, and only them.

Emma wasn't really a fan of singing this song. The song itself wasn't all that special to her and the chords to it on the guitar were pretty easy.

Until she saw the way Alyssa smiled and sang along. That was by far the most adorable thing she had ever seen in her life. Alyssa's happiness was a delight to see. Now the song was like a treasure to her, even if she didn't like it at first.

Alyssa didn't receive a response after asking. What was she thinking? It was pretty obvious Emma never enjoyed singing that song and only did it just for her. She felt spoiled and didn't feel like she did anything back. Now wasn't the right time.

"Actually, never mind. You don't have to. I don't know why I said that. I should probably head off to bed. I mean, it's getting kinda late and-"

_"Turn around_  
_Look at what you see."_

Alyssa's eyes immediately widened and lit up the room. Hearing Emma sing was the best thing she could be hearing right now, and hearing her sing one of her favorite songs again made her feel so relaxed and nostalgic. She grinned widely and giggled while listening to her sing even more.

_"In her face_  
_The mirror of your dreams."_

The grinning brunette was already dancing along on her bed, swaying to the lyrics and tapping her fingers in anticipation for the next verse. She joined in with her, harmonizing each note like she always did. 

_"Make believe I'm everywhere_  
_Given in the light_  
_Written on the pages_  
_Is the answer to a never ending story_  
_Ah." _

Then, she heard guitar strings echoing out of her phone. They continued to sing, now with a calming instrumental background.

_"Reach the stars_  
_Fly a fantasy_  
_Dream a dream_  
_And what you see will be."_

It felt like the two were back in Indiana, right there in Emma's room at her grandmother's house and jamming along to a song that was used in a 1980s movie. They haven't done this in forever.

Emma didn't need to see Alyssa to know how wide she was smiling or how bright her expression got. Especially in a moment like this, this was the happiest she had ever seen Alyssa in a long time. Even though Alyssa's voice was delayed on Emma's end, she still felt like she was at home.

_"Rhymes that keep their secrets_  
_Will unfold behind the clouds_  
_And there upon a rainbow_  
_Is the answer to a never ending story_  
_Ah."_

Alyssa tilted her head as she and Emma held out the last few notes. Her room was completely dark, yet it felt like light was shining all over the place.

_"Story_  
_Ah."_"

The two both giggled after the final note. The night started off so slow, but now it was going by so quick after doing one of their favorite things. Time really does fly by when you're having fun.

Alyssa checked the clock and saw it was now 4:00 AM. Geez, that was quick. She yawned pretty loudly to the point where Emma could hear it.

Emma hummed in content. She had been talking and singing for an hour with her girlfriend and it was already 4 in the morning. As much as she didn't want to hang up, she had class tomorrow, so it was best if she went to bed. 

"I think we should go to sleep now," the blonde said, rubbing her eyes and placing her guitar back where it was.

The only thing she heard was light snoring. She couldn't help but chuckle. 

"Lys, you dork. Goodnight, love."

She hung up and placed her phone and glasses on the bedside table. Wrapped up in her blanket and hugging her stuffed sloth, she smiled the widest she had in a long time.


End file.
